Best Prong Collar Review
The prong collar was invented in the 1940s by a veterinarian who wanted to find an alternative to the choke collar for dog training. Even though there’s quite a bit of controversy surrounding the use of prong collars, the truth is that any training tool, when used correctly, produces positive results.
The prong collar is not an exception to this rule. Even though it might look scary, the prongs on the prong collar aren’t sharp, and the exerted pressure is evenly distributed throughout the collar, which means that your dog will feel nothing more than a slight pinching sensation.
We’ve been in consultation with several dog parents over the past few weeks, and we believe we have compiled a list of the best prong collars according to their experiences and reviews. This buyer’s guide will help you choose the right prong collar to give your dog a positive training experience.
Best Overall: Herm Sprenger Dog Prong
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Closure Type: D-Ring and Chain-link
Our top choice for the “Best Overall” dog prong collar is this Herm Sprenger Dog Prong for several good reasons. Let’s start with the obvious – it’s on the coveted “Amazon’s Choice” list, which means that other dog parents like you have tried it, loved it, and have not returned the product compared to competing products.
Being on the “Amazon’s Choice” list doesn’t mean that it’s automatically a good fit for you and your dog. There are a host of other reasons why it could be the right fit. One is that it’s made of stainless steel, making it strong and durable enough to withstand the pressure from dogs of all sizes.
It comes with well-rounded prongs that exert gentle pressure on the dog’s neck without actually hurting it or breaking the skin. The biggest issue with this Herm Sprenger Dog Prong is that it doesn’t come with rubberized tips for the prongs. We think this is a huge oversight on the manufacturer’s part, as most of the competition now offers rubberized tips that can be added or removed as the owner sees fit.
Finally, this prong collar is black, which makes it a bit more stylish than the regular silver-colored options on the market. It has a sturdy D-Ring that attaches to the leash, and it’s easily adjustable to fit most dogs.
What We Like
- Made of stainless steel
- Manufactured by a reliable brand
- It’s on the “Amazon’s Choice” list
- It’s easy to use
What We Don’t Like
- It doesn’t offer rubberized tips
Best Quick-Release Option: Supet Dog Prong Collar
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Closure Type: Buckle
For dog parents who are still concerned about how much pressure prong collars can exert on their dogs, this quick-release Supet Dog Prong Collar is a great option. It has a quick-release snap buckle that is easy to use. All you have to do is press the red button until the collar releases. This comes in handy any time you feel as though your dog might be choking or experiencing any pain from the collar.
Speaking of pain, the prongs on this collar are not only smooth and rounded, but the collar comes with additional rubber fittings that you can place on the prongs. This ensures that no harm comes to your dog whenever it is wearing this collar. The prongs exert gentle pressure on the dog’s neck, which mimics the kind of pressure it would experience from its mother’s teeth.
Made out of stainless steel, this Supet Dog Prong Collar is strong, reliable, and affordable. It’s ideal for all types of dogs, including the larger, stronger breeds.
What We Like
- It’s strong
- It has a quick-release buckle which makes it easy to use
- It’s made of stainless steel which is durable and resilient
- It has rounded and smooth prongs that exert gentle pressure
What We Don’t Like
- It’s not ideal for puppies
Best Choke Collar Option: Aheasoun Prong Collar
This Aheasoun Prong Collar is designed to snuggly fit your dog’s neck. Unlike most collars, this one doesn’t have a quick release. It’s designed as a choke collar, and you have to tug at the chain to lower the pressure on your dog’s neck. In some cases, these work better than collars that have a quick-release buckle as there’s very little chance that the chains will break.
Made of stainless steel, this prong collar has rounded tips that can be covered with rubber so your dog will only experience a gentle pinch and not inhumane treatment. While we found that the rubberized tips can come off sometimes, if you secure them with superglue, you don’t have to worry about this at all. You are, however, advised to keep an eye on them from time to time.
This collar is heavy and strong with a D-Ring that attaches to the leash. This D-Ring tends to rotate downwards, which can hit the dog’s legs when the leash is not snug enough. The collar can also slip off when not adjusted properly. There are two ways to counter this problem: making sure that the collar is adjusted to snuggly fit your dog or using a secondary regular collar with this one so it can’t slip over it.
What We Like
- It’s heavy and strong
- It has well-rounded prongs that come with rubber tips
- It’s weather-resistant
- Easy to use
What We Don’t Like
- There’s no quick release
- It can slip off the dog’s neck
Best Alloy Steel Option: Mayerzone Prong Dog Collar
- Material: Alloy Steel
- Closure Type: Chain Link
Even though alloy steel isn’t as sturdy or weather-resistant as stainless steel, prong collars made of this material, like this Mayerzone Prong Dog Collar do have a few excellent merits. For one thing, these collars are much lighter than stainless steel options, which goes a long way towards improving your dog’s overall experience with the collar.
Another thing about this Mayerzone Prong Dog Collar is that it has a quick-release buckle, which is something that most dog parents appreciate because they can easily adjust the tightness whenever their dog pulls on the collar.
Finally, the collar comes with rubberized tips that can be used to cover the prongs. This makes its use more comfortable for the dog and allows you to enjoy some peace of mind knowing that your dog is only experiencing a gentle pinch and no pain.
What We Like
- It’s lighter than its stainless steel competitors
- The prongs come with rubberized tips
- It has a quick-release buckle
What We Don’t Like
- It’s not strong enough for larger dogs
Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Prong Collar for Your Dog
There’s a lot that goes into choosing the best prong collar for your dog. For one thing, you need to choose something that is not only comfortable but also effective. This means that it has to provide enough of a pinching sensation for your dog to react, but not so much that it experiences pain.
Before we share our buyer’s guide, it’s best to educate yourself a bit about dog prong collars.
What are the Different Types of Dog Prong Collars?
As you might imagine, there are a few different dog prong collar types. As you do your research, you will likely come across any of the following three:
Alloy Steel Dog Prong Collars
Alloy steel is a common material used in the manufacturing of dog prong collars because it’s durable, sturdy, and holds up to the elements. Alloy steel is also lightweight and has high tensile strength.
This means that it can easily withstand a great deal of pressure and abuse from the dog without losing grip. It should, however, be noted that dog prong collars made out of alloy steel can lose their shape when too much pressure is applied to them.
Stainless Steel Dog Prong Collars
A popular choice for professional dog trainers, prong collars made of stainless steel are not only durable but also extremely weather resistant. Stainless steel is a strong metal that hardly bends under pressure from a dog or the owner.
It’s rustproof and recyclable. Stainless steel dog prong collars are more aesthetically pleasing than regular steel dog prong collars, despite being slightly more expensive.
Nickel Dog Prong Collars
While these aren’t as common on the market, dog prong collars made of nickel are not only resistant to corrosion but extremely hard and perfect for larger dogs. Nickel has a high melting point and a ductile body.
It is characterized by a slow oxidation rate at room temperature. Even though nickel dog prong collars have a lot of good qualities, they aren’t very popular because they require regular maintenance and could lead to skin conditions such as dermatitis.
What are the Benefits of Using Dog Prong Collars?
Considering how much controversy there is surrounding dog prong collars, it’s important to take a look at their benefits so you can weigh them against the numerous myths and misconceptions. Here are some of the key benefits of using dog prong collars:
Helps in Training Your Dog
Prong collars are meant to help train unruly, aggressive, and neglected dogs that have behavioral issues. Whenever the dog pulls on the collar, the prongs cause some level of discomfort, which gets the dog to take a step back and calm down.
Helps to Reduce Biting
When dealing with a puppy, you might think it’s cute that they are trying to bite you. This is part of their instinct and playful nature. As they get older, this biting behavior can get out of hand. Prong collars can be used to train them to stop biting.
Corrective Behavior
Using other extreme measures, such as punishing or hitting the dog when they exhibit unwanted behavior, can have adverse effects. The dog might become more aggressive, stubborn, or even depressed. It’s advisable to use other, more humane measures such as prong collars to correct wayward behavior in dogs.
What to Look for When Buying a Prong Collar?
Here are some of the key factors to consider when looking to buy the best prong collar for your dog:
Size
Prong collars aren’t like normal choke collars, which are sold in inches. When ordering prong collars, you have to do it in sizes. There are small, medium, large, and extra-large prong collars. These collars all come in a standard length, and it’s up to you, as the dog parent, to adjust the collar you have to fit your dog.
You adjust the collar by removing or adding links. When you are fitting the prong collar around your dog’s neck, always make sure that you can pass at least two fingers underneath it. This will assure you that the collar isn’t too loose or too tight and that your dog won’t choke while wearing it.
Weight
The weight of the prong collar you buy depends on the material from which it’s made. Prong collars made out of alloy steel are much lighter than those made out of stainless steel. The downside is that they aren’t as strong and might not be ideal for larger, stronger dogs.
Finish
There are prong collars that have flat metallic ends, while others come with rounded rubber ends. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. The prong collars with metallic ends tend to be more effective on larger dogs, but not so much on smaller ones, as they can be quite heavy. The metallic ends might also irritate the dog’s skin over time.
Prong collars with rubber finishings don’t harm the skin and add less pressure when compared to the metallic-ended ones. The issue with rubber finishing is that they create more friction when rubbing up against the dog as they move about. This could end up damaging the dog’s fur.
Adjustability
Even if you only have one dog, buying an adjustable prong collar is often the better choice. These adjustable prong collars can be adjusted to fit dogs of various sizes. It will come in handy when your dog grows bigger.
Any of the prong collars highlighted on this list will work fine for most dog owners. All you have to do now is decide which one is best suited for you. Are you squeamish about using prong collars on your dog? If so, maybe the Supet Dog Prong Collar or the Mayerzone Prong Dog Collar that have rubberized tips and quick-releases will help put your mind at ease.
If, however, that sort of thing doesn’t bother you and all you want is a reliable, sturdy, and effective prong collar for training your dog, then our top choice, the Herm Sprenger Dog Prong, will do the job just fine!
FAQ:
Q: How do prong collars work?
A: When one dog gets out of line, another dog often threatens to bite them in the neck (sometimes even giving them a little nibble). This correction and bite on the neck are exactly what a prong collar is designed to mimic. As a training tool, prong collars are used to exert a pinching sensation on your dog to deter it from misbehaving.
Prong collars are particularly useful for dog owners who have unruly dogs. If your dog is a nightmare to walk or even visit the park with because he will keep tugging on the leash, lunging at other dogs, and dragging you along with it, a prong collar might be the solution you need.
A prong collar is designed to exert a pinching sensation on the dog’s neck and is an effective deterrent for that lunging behavior. On a normal walk, the prongs on the collar simply rest on the dog’s neck and exert no pressure at all.
As soon as your dog starts to lunge or tug at the leash, the collar tightens and the prongs gently yet firmly dig into his or her neck, causing a pinching sensation. It’s this slight discomfort that slowly deters your dog from that behavior.
Q: Why all the controversy surrounding prong collars?
A: Activists believe that the pinching sensation created by the collars cause the dog unnecessary pain. The truth, however, is that the prongs are not designed to be painful for the dog, but rather a little uncomfortable. When used properly, the prong collar is not only safe but quite effective.
Q: Are prong collars safe?
A: Prong collars are very safe when used properly and they are an effective training tool. The key to getting the most out of your dog’s prong collar is placing it high up on the dog’s neck, closer to the ears as opposed to the shoulders. The collar should fit snugly enough that you can only fit two fingers underneath.
Here’s a video giving you a quick tutorial on how to use a prong collar safely:
